CDC Lab Director Reassigned Following Anthrax Scare

The director in charge of the Centers for Disease Control laboratory in Atlanta where more than 80 workers may have been exposed to anthrax has been reassigned, according to Reuters.

Two anonymous sources from the CDC told Reuters that "Michael Farrell, head of the CDC's Bioterror Rapid Response and Advanced Technology Laboratory, has been reassigned as the agency investigates the incident." In addition, the CDC ceded control of the investigation to the USDA.

Speaking to NBC News, CDC deputy director Dr. Ileana Arias said that "we wish we knew" exactly how the exposure may have occurred, and defended the CDC: "any lab has incidents ... in every situation we have been very diligent and aggressive in identifying what caused those breaches, what caused those problems."